Promise
by Rissa-channn
Summary: One cold and lonely night, Ogino Chihiro mulls over her feelings and promises left broken.


**Promise_  
_**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away._

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Ogino Chihiro, or Sen as she insisted everyone call her, smiled peacefully as she delicately dabbed her wooden paintbrush down the half-finished canvas. She retracted her brush, dipping it into a lighter shade of blue. She stroked the parchment, staining it blue. She carefully blended it into the other shades of blue beside it.

_"How did you know my name was Chihiro?"_

_"I have known you since you were very small."_

She smiled at the sudden thought of him. It had been almost six years since she last saw him, and he her. Her memories of him were always full of fondness and always brought her spirits up.

_**"**Will we meet again sometime?"  
_  
_"Sure we will."  
_  
_"Promise?"  
_  
_"Promise... Now go, and don't look back..."_

Her smile faded somewhat, but the warmth still stayed in her chest. She glanced up in mild surprise when she noticed that she stopped painting. Trailing her fingers over the finished portrait, the slightest of tears appeared in her tear ducts. It _was_ true that the thought of him brought joy to her, but she couldn't help but feel saddened that it was just that; memories. She yearned to live in the present _with _him.

She gently placed the painting down on her mahogany desk, marveling the flying creature inside it. She traced the outline of its figure, wishing she could be right next to him.

"Haku," she whispered, blinking away the tears.

She shivered as the cold wind blew, her hair following its direction.

Taking off the special hairband her friends made her from her wrist, she gathered her brown hair into a high ponytail. Once done, she set her arms back down, wringing her frail hands together.

After she left the Spirit World, her life went back to being normal, except she sort of changed from that vulnerable little girl into a strong-willed one. Upon going to school, she was instantly noticed and her confidence made her popular. Her rather cute personality gained the attention of the majority of the boys (and some girls). It didn't help that her face full of baby fats grew more beautiful as the years went by.

She was the top in her class. Always getting positive remarks from teachers, never failing in any subject. Boys wanted her, girls wanted to be her. She had the perfect life. But what's the use of this so-called perfect life without the one you love the most?

She wondered if she ever crossed his mind, even if only for a few seconds. For her, it happens all the time. It happens so much, in fact, that she even considered getting her mind checked.

It didn't even matter that he was a River Kami. It didn't matter that he was a spirit. All she wanted to do is be with him.

In her heart, it was only him that she valued more than anything in the world. He coated her heart with unadulterated desire and hope. Her heart and mind was his slave, following his every whim. He promised, didn't he? He promised that they would see each other again. He _promised._

She didn't expect to feel this way towards him. She didn't mean to fall. She tried to forget him, she did. She went on blind dates, which were planned by her best friends. She did everything she could to move on. But her love for him remained. In fact, it increased with every passing day. How could she move on?

Even if you told her it was wrong, loving a spirit, she would do everything to be with him. Slave or captive, she was his, and nobody else's. If she were to see him again, she would pour out her feelings in sincere words and hopeful butterflies.

Some times, she regretted leaving the Spirit World. Some times, she regretted leaving him. But what she regretted the most was the things she didn't do in the few months she stayed. She didn't regret loving him, though. She didn't regret meeting him. The time she was there, she unknowingly fell for him. It wasn't until she matured into a teenager did she realize these feelings.

She needed him in her life. When she met him, her dull life brightened, and she knew that meeting him was the reason. He filled the empty space in her heart. She wanted him more than an electron wants to attach to a proton. Heh, her geeky side was showing. Briefly, she wondered what he would think. Would he think she was weird?

She wanted to see him so much. So much that she'd rather be by his side as a friend, rather than not see him for long periods of time. She just wanted to be with him. It's sad that you can't always get what you want, even if you deserve it. It's sad that even though you love someone so, _so _much, you can't be together with them. You know what else is sad? It's that she never stopped hoping for their lives to intertwine again.

When thinking of him, she never noticed her surroundings. She never noticed all the beautiful things life had to offer. She didn't notice how the stars twinkled, she didn't notice the bright light of the moon. She didn't notice the beauty of nature, the aroma of flowers. These things brought her no true joy. But he did. Morning, afternoon, night, he did.

You must be wondering, "Why did she fall in love with him?"

It's simple, really.

He wasn't exactly the dream guy every girl wished for. He didn't have the most handsome features. He didn't have a muscular body that rippled... But still, in her mind, he was the dream guy she wanted. His smile was enchanting. He moved fluidly and with grace.

But he would never want someone like her.

Maybe a spirit, but not a human.

The thought of him finding love in some other female spirit clenched her heart. Her throat suddenly felt dry. Without even noticing, a fountain of tears dripped down her whimpering face.

For years, she thought what he meant by not looking back, is to not look back at him as she ran back to her parents and their car. But what he actually meant, she now realized, is to not look back into the past and the brief memories she had of him and the Spirit World. He wanted her to move on. She smiled forlornly.

_I'm sorry, Haku. I didn't get to keep my promise..._

_But then again, so did you._

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**Teeheehee o3o I got bored xD I'd really appreciate if you reviewed; this is my first time posting a oneshot *o***

**Thank you for reading :D I hope you enjoyed it :)**


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